Meet Britt Gow, Science teacher at a rural P-12 College in South West Victoria and author of the popular Technoscience blog. In 2013, Britt received the “Secondary Teacher of the Year” award in the Victorian Education Excellence Awards and on 20 May this year Britt has taken out the State’s Top Teacher award winning the 2014 Lindsay Thompson Fellowship.

Hawkesdale P-12 College’s Britt Gow developed a learning network that extends around the world as part of a tech-savvy program to engage maths and science students. Judges praised her passion for using technology to reach out to maths and science students in a way that appealed to their interests and spoke their language. Britt received a prize including an overseas research fellowship plus $50,000. You can read more here.

She believes that providing a wide range of authentic, hands-on tasks, gives all students an opportunity for success. “As a secondary school teacher in a small, rural school, I believe getting to know your students well is the key to effective learning. Creating a safe and happy classroom environment, providing opportunities for scaffolded and independent learning and allowing for individual differences in interest and ability are also important.”

Working in a 1:1 school, where each student from Grade 5 to Year 12 has a netbook, I enjoy using web 2.0 tools to engage and motivate students to achieve their best. Through blogs, wikis and other social networking tools, I give students opportunities to connect, communicate and collaborate across Australia and the globe.

My passion is education for sustainability – providing students with the knowledge, skills and desire to contribute to a more sustainable society. In junior science classes I provide a variety of learning opportunities, including hands-on practical work, critical thinking activities, group tasks and creation of multimedia products. I hope that by developing 21st century skills, my students will be effective participants in decision-making and actively advocate for sustainable development.

Britt believes that professional development for teachers should model best practice in the classroom. You can meet Britt during one of three workshops she is hosting during the Love Learning Conference in August.